The impact of the heavyweight title victory of Anthony Joshua against legend Wladimir Klitschko continues to be felt online as the Nigerian-Brit added about 220,000 new followers in April 2017, the month of his fight, according to figures from analytic website Twitter Counter.

Joshua who is leading a new breed of boxing stars saw his following move into the 1million mark after starting April with 871, 194 followers on Twitter.

His following steadily moved up throughout April and it climaxed with his 11th round stoppage of Klitschko on the night of Saturday, April 29 in front of a 90,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium, London, England.

Joshua added an average daily following of 436 followers from April 1 to April 6 but things picked up afterwards and he reached an average of 1,018 daily followers by April 18.

Things escalated in the week of the fight as he picked up 4,448 followers on Monday, April 24 which ballooned up to 26, 668 followers daily from April 25.

His new following of 1,090,000 puts him into a select group of people worldwide who have a million plus followers and he is now ranked in the 1,195th spot which secures celebrity accolade on Twitter.

His victory against Klitschko is leading to global acclaim as he puts the Heavyweight division into the spotlight once more.

While former super featherweight fighter Floyd Mayweather (7.2m) enjoys fame and following on Twitter, the heavies haven’t had such glamour: Tyson Fury (608,000), Klitschko (379,000), Deontay Wilder (174,000) and Tony Bellew (345,000) except David Haye who has 1.2m. Joshua is fast catching up.

And so are his sponsors.

Under Armour dropped a new ad through his social media on Monday, May 1 to celebrate the victory. The 27-year-old extended his deal with the apparel maker in February and is being touted as the next commercially successful sports superstar.

The Drum magazine anticipates that he could become the first billion dollar boxer if he continues to be as marketable and genial as he is.

Ahead of the fight with Klitschko, Joshua had a video call with hip hop producer and entrepreneur Dr Dre, founder of the headphone brand Beats. It is not often that Dr Dre is seen or heard these days as the legend endorsed the boxer ahead of the fight with the video posted on his social networks.

Joshua won in the ring, he won a lot of hearts and he is now winning on social.

]]>https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/05/01/heavyweight-boxing-superstar-anthony-joshua-added-220000-twitter-followers-after-title-fight/feed/0Joshuajololade002C-ngfobWAAAXo1CThe LA Lakers doing well post-Kobe Bryant through digital fan engagementhttps://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/the-la-lakers-doing-well-post-kobe-bryant-through-digital-fan-engagement/
https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/the-la-lakers-doing-well-post-kobe-bryant-through-digital-fan-engagement/#respondFri, 28 Apr 2017 11:05:40 +0000http://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/?p=215]]>I came across an interview by The Drum with LA Lakers new media director Nick Kioski about the fan engagement strategy that the club has put in place after the retirement of their legend Kobe Bryant.

Due to the immense fame of Bryant, the club was able to reach new fans. But they were in danger of losing their leverage without him, coupled with their poor recent form that has seen them miss the NBA playoffs.

Kioski said his digital team has worked on their different social media platforms in order to keep the fans engaged during this period.

Instagram (with 3.5m followers) has been their best platform for engagement but he does not rule out the fact that each platform has a unique offering for the fans and their needs. The Lakers have 6.1m followers on Twitter and 21.8m on Facebook.

They also hired a Spanish writer to create content for their local and international Spanish speaking fans. The Lakers also set up a Weibo account to reach their Chinese fans, a demographic that grew really big due to the Bryant marketing efforts.

According to Kioski, fan engagement includes every avenue that the fan uses to relate with the club. So they are highly interested in maintaining those relationships.

]]>https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/the-la-lakers-doing-well-post-kobe-bryant-through-digital-fan-engagement/feed/0Kobe Bryantjololade002The F1 as a marketing spectaclehttps://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/the-f1-as-a-marketing-spectacle/
https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/the-f1-as-a-marketing-spectacle/#respondThu, 27 Apr 2017 23:10:15 +0000http://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/the-f1-as-a-marketing-spectacle/]]>The title of this post is taken from a conversation with my friend Ayo Ajanaku who is an avid Formula 1 fan.

During this race weekend, drivers did not go into the city to meet fans at public malls, they only met fans in a designated area of the Olympic Park. Only fans that have tickets could enter the park. Still, there were more than 2000 fans at the autograph signings on Thursday. Fans queued up based on their favourite teams: Ferrari, Mercedes, McClaren Honda, Williams, Toro Roso, Force India, Redbull, etc.

The Ferrari team had the highest number of fans, many adorned the team’s red baseball hats. Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel promised his fans that he would try to end the victory run of team Mercedes at the Sochi race circuit (Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have won the last races).
When Hamilton arrived for his turn to meet the fans, he greeted in Russian and proceeded to tell them he hoped to win again in order to convert the large Ferrari fans into Mercedes fans. The crowd cheered as they surged forward to get autographs.

I was one of those who was lucky to have met Hamilton despite the huge crowd and the jostling. I got his autograph and despite the hassle, I enjoyed the spectacle of F1 fan culture. There were so many nationalities represented as fans chased autographs and photo ops.

The F1 is a massive marketing machine, everything inside the Sochi Autodrome is in one way or the other a part of the attempt to sell you F1 merchandise. There is every attempt to make you buy a merchandise; from key rings, mugs, baseball caps, t-shirts and scarves, everything is on sale for big money. Official F1 team caps cost 4000 rubles ($70) while t-shirts cost 6000 rubles ($105).

Sport is big business and the F1 understands how to market the experience. Fans queued for more than three hours in order to walk through the pits and witness how race car tyres are changed by the team crews.
The food court is closely controlled. Restaurants did not have their names displayed because only sponsors’ brands are allowed to be displayed in the F1 village. The food is also more expensive than in the city. Official sponsors Heineken also sold pints at a higher cost.

There was a lot of money exchanging hands and it is the reason the F1 continues to enjoy big profits.
One thing they did that I loved was giving ticket holders free train rides to and fro the Olympic Park. This should reduce the number of people driving cars to the race.

I stopped by at the Moremall in the evening to buy groceries and found that sponsors Martini had placed a racing car inside the Okei grocery store as part of their activation. There is hardly anyone in the city that would miss the F1 phenomenon that swept through Sochi this weekend. Impressive.

This weekend I will watch more closely to observe the marketing strategy of the F1. I hope to take away important lessons for my career as a sport professional.

]]>https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/the-f1-as-a-marketing-spectacle/feed/020170427_133517jololade002Fan engagement for 2017 F1 Russian Grand Prix Sochihttps://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/fan-engagement-for-2017-f1-russian-grand-prix-sochi/
https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/fan-engagement-for-2017-f1-russian-grand-prix-sochi/#commentsMon, 24 Apr 2017 16:41:41 +0000http://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/?p=193]]>The 2017 F1 VTB Russian Grand Prix takes place at the Sochi Autodrome this weekend. For the past two weeks, the organisers have been creating public events meant to engage the local community who are expected to make up the highest number of spectators at the races from April 28-30.

When I visited the largest shopping centre in town, the Moremall [pronounced Moramol], a few days ago, I witnessed a fan event right in the middle of the mall.

About 50 fans, men, women and children, milled around the exhibit to get a firsthand view of what it feels like to be in the F1.

The Sochi Autodrome placed a replica Formula 1 car on a dais for fans to take pictures. They also placed the winners’ podium which some fans climbed while imagining standing next to Lewis Hamilton and popping their champagne bottles.

Some fans raced miniature F1 cars on a miniature race circuit. The original length of the Sochi race circuit is 5.848 km.

I am not certain who he was but someone dressed as a driver sat down, signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans. My skepticism being that the Bahrain GP held on the day I saw this exhibit. Whoever it was, the fans looked pleased to meet an F1 driver.

While the exhibit took place, a nearby stand held a desk where fans could make enquiries and purchase tickets for the race. The cheapest tickets cost 5000 rubles (about $88).

A classmate who is interning informed me that F1 teams would hold official autograph signings at the race circuit with their star drivers on Friday and Saturday. But the only way to get to meet Hamilton, Vettel and company is by purchasing a ticket. Talk about incentivisation of photo-ops.

One would have hoped to meet drivers at the Moremall during the week, I am certain that would do great traction if advertised.

In order for fans to pick up their tickets, the Sochi Autodrom Twitter account (@SochiAutdrom) announced that the Main Ticket Box Office commenced operations on April 18.

While I hope to see at least one of the race days, I was very keen to be a volunteer but I was not selected. I guess better luck next time.

До свидания и удачи

]]>https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/fan-engagement-for-2017-f1-russian-grand-prix-sochi/feed/220170415_174117jololade00220170415_17411220170415_17413720170415_174106Sport management education for the future – RIOU 2017 MSA Open Day Speechhttps://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/sport-management-education-for-the-future-riou-2017-msa-open-day-speech/
https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/sport-management-education-for-the-future-riou-2017-msa-open-day-speech/#respondTue, 18 Apr 2017 14:50:11 +0000http://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/?p=181]]>Below is the short speech that I recently gave at the 2017 Russian International Olympic University, Sochi, Open Day on April 14, 2017.

Let me welcome you once again to the Russian International Olympic University, Sochi, on this occasion of the 2017 Open Day.

As you know, the Russian International Olympic University is a human and educational legacy of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games that was held here in Sochi, Adler and the surrounding mountains of Rosa Khutor and Krasnaya Polyana.

How can one better preserve the memory of a great event like the Olympics than by establishing a university for research and teaching future generations about the ideals of the movement in an ultra-modern facility such as that which the Russian International Olympic University presents?

As you might be aware, I hail from Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa. And I happen to be the first Nigerian admitted to study here at RIOU.

My earliest memory of the Olympic Games was from Seoul ’88. I remember watching Ben Johnson win the 100metres final before he was ignominiously stripped of the title which was then handed deservingly to Carl Lewis.

I did not see my country on the Olympic medal podium until Barcelona ’92 when we got silver medals in Boxing and Athletics (Nigeria’s first ever medal came in Tokyo ’64 in Boxing).

In 1996, we seemingly arrived into our own as we clinched two gold medals (Men’s Football and Women’s Long Jump). We celebrated these feats with wild chanting and street parties back home and my love affair with the Olympic Games was truly cemented.

The 2014 Sochi Games had its critics but it ran smoothly through. I watched on TV as the athletes competed with all their energy but never once gave it some thought that I would be studying in the city three years later.

When the opportunity came for me to apply for the MSA course in April 2016, I took it with a lot of enthusiasm. While the thought that one may not be good enough to get into such a prestigious global programme crossed my mind, my wife encouraged me to apply. And I am glad I did.

Here at RIOU I have come to a fuller, deeper understanding of the Olympic Movement and global sport through the well-designed teaching modules put in place for the MSA programme.

The module of the MSA is broken into five, like the Olympic Rings. They are as follows: The Economics of Sport and the Olympics; Governance, Politics and the Olympic Movement; Research Methods for Sport Management; the Business of Sport and the Olympics and Sport Marketing and Communications.

Our classes have been very hands on, with world class professors who give great attention to students’ individual and group presentations as we work our way through knotty issues in modern sport management via case studies and exploratory essays.

My personal favourites have been Sport Tourism, Sport Development & Management Concepts, Leadership and People Management, Sport Branding and Communication and Marketing Communications.

Situated in a former Olympic city, RIOU offers internships with top sport events venues, organisations and events like the F1 Russian Grand Prix, Rosa Khutor, Fisht Stadium, Sochi Hockey Club, etc. Students have also been able to go abroad to places like Finland, Switzerland and Austria for internship in order to practice what they have been taught in class.

The strength of any graduate programme depends on its alumni network. Many RIOU graduates have gone on to take up important positions in sport federations, National Olympic Committees, marketing companies and sport communication agencies. Others have gone on to pursue further degrees in sport management.

Personally I am looking at a PhD position at the Universite Paris Sud in France. I have also recently been contracted as a Contributor to The Guardian, one of Nigeria’s biggest newspapers where I write twice a month on global sport topics.

The RIOU MSA offers limitless potentials for candidates. For anyone looking to a career in sport, this Olympic legacy is the ideal place to start.

I leave you with a quote from RIOU Rector, Professor Lev Belousov: “The key element to our flagship MSA course is its emphasis on creatively applying the knowledge and expertise accumulated by the organisers of previous Olympic Games, especially from Sochi 2014. Whilst a lot of university programmes focus on narrow areas within sports management, such as administration or law or by specialising in a single sport only, RIOU’s model combines a traditional university curriculum with features commonly found on a career development programme.”

]]>https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/sport-management-education-for-the-future-riou-2017-msa-open-day-speech/feed/0IMG_7105jololade002IMG_7062IMG_7108IMG_7111Top 20 Twitter accounts 2010 and 2017: How social media maps changes in fortune and famehttps://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/top-20-twitter-accounts-2010-and-2017-how-social-media-maps-changes-in-fortune-and-fame/
https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/top-20-twitter-accounts-2010-and-2017-how-social-media-maps-changes-in-fortune-and-fame/#respondSat, 15 Apr 2017 00:11:28 +0000http://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/top-20-twitter-accounts-2010-and-2017-how-social-media-maps-changes-in-fortune-and-fame/]]>These are the 20 most followed accounts on Twitter in 2010 and 2017 (via Kwak, Lee, Park & Moon and Twitter Counter). Changes have occurred, people have become more famous, some less famous and others infamous in the intervening period.
It so happens that Cristiano Ronaldo is the only sports person in the top 20 in 2017 with Shaquille O’Neal seemingly no longer running his account and Lance Armstrong (#15 in 2010) now #236.

Singer Katy Perry is the most followed person while Barack Obama remains the most popular politician and has seen increase in following (#7 in 2010, #3 in 2017) but President Trump is #43.
Entertainers continue to be the most popular personalities on Twitter, 11/20 in 2010 and 15/20 in 2017.
Only one news organisation CNNBreaking News remains in the top 20 in 2017 out of 3 in 2010 (New York Times now #23).
The official Twitter account (#9 in 2017, #6 in 2010) remains popular with YouTube joining the top 20 and the Instagram account #21 as the top ranked tech accounts.
Oprah has dropped out of the top 20 to #22 with Kim Kardashian dropping three spots to #13. Ashton Kutcher (#1 in 2010) and ex-wife Demi Moore (#12 in 2010) have fallen far out of range.

]]>https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/top-20-twitter-accounts-2010-and-2017-how-social-media-maps-changes-in-fortune-and-fame/feed/0jololade002National Anthem Mistakes – My story referenced by the NYTimeshttps://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/02/19/national-anthem-mistakes-my-story-referenced-by-the-nytimes/
https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/02/19/national-anthem-mistakes-my-story-referenced-by-the-nytimes/#respondSun, 19 Feb 2017 05:37:21 +0000http://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/?p=174]]>During the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, I followed up an incident where the Nigerian national anthem was replaced with that of Niger ahead of their opening men’s football game against Japan.

The Nigerian team had struggled to reach Manaus following bungled travel plans by the ministry of sport. They arrived less than five hours before their game and when they got out to play, were confronted with a strange music that wasn’t their national anthem.

They did not allow this incident to deflate their spirits and went on to win a highly entertaining game 5-3.

During the uproar that followed the wrong anthem on social media, I contacted the Rio OCOG for explanation and I got a prompt response with an apology. My article was published on Goal as an exclusive, the only media personnel to have taken it up.

Today I discovered that the New York Times had referenced my story in their article titled, “Oh, Say, What’s With All the National Anthem Mistakes?”- see link: https://nyti.ms/2l8KBjn

Glad to know that my work helped a major news media like the NYT. It’s an important affirmation of what one does with diligence.

“The benefits of marathons and road races are immense, the health benefits of walking, jogging, and running are immense as they prevent and cure many illnesses and diseases especially diabetes, hypertension and even cancer,’’ Yusuf Alli, Lagos City Marathon General Manager.

The Lagos City Marathon continues in a tradition of growing Nigerian sport from a top-down approach instead of the logical bottom-up. Last year the marathon returned with fanfare and governmental support which brought on board banking giant Access Bank as title sponsors. They have been joined by 7UP and a host of other corporates this year.

Yet, if there is something we have failed to learn in Nigeria, it is that any project largely driven by the government cannot stand the test of time. Perhaps it was why it took us almost 30 years to revive the Lagos marathon. The nostalgia of watching the race as a young man must have propelled Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to re-establish the Lagos marathon.

However, I feel this should have been done in a more organic process that would see locals running their city before it is grown into an international competition where foreign elite athletes are invited to participate for prize money. Usually, marathons and road races grow out of the domestic athletic market to become major events that reach international limelight.

Most long surviving marathons are organised by running clubs, city athletic departments and not-for-profit sports organisations. They are groups of people and organisations that have vested interest in fitness and healthy lifestyles. They live and breathe fitness and actively encourage people to take up healthy lifestyles (see the organisation behind the New York City Marathon).

What we have seen in the Lagos Marathon as it is constructed today is a political attempt to legislate fitness into the lives of citizens through a one-day event that has no follow up process throughout the remaining 364 days of our lives. It would be great if the organisers can inform us of the number of athletic clubs that were registered after last year’s race and the number of new members that have taken to running for fitness in Lagos. One doubts that there is any attention paid to legacy projects or charity sports projects in the Lagos City Marathon marketing plan.

Infrastructure Legacy

I would like to know how many athletic tracks have been/will be constructed around Lagos as a part of the legacy of the Lagos City Marathon in order to encourage Lagosians to take up sport. If the aim is to make citizens participate in sport but we do not have plans for reaching out to them through campaigns and provision of facilities, it means that the marketing plan needs to be better thought through.

Volunteering legacy

Large sport events of this type are usually an opportunity for recruiting volunteers to manage key aspects. It was reported last year that many of the people who were used as volunteers at the race were actually political hangers-on (think Area Boys) who eventually protested that they be paid for their services (a fact which was later debunked by the organizers who said nobody was being owed). We all know that volunteers are not paid, many people use volunteer opportunities to get a foot into industries where they would like to find work. It is important that the Lagos City Marathon positions itself as an avenue for developing the capability of a corps of enthusiasts who would be useful in the sports industry and not for political associates of organizing committee members.

Financial transparency

Why are we giving out $50,000 as appearance fees to elite runners who also stand a chance to win another $50,000 in prize money when we are in a recession? 65 elite runners were invited to attend the 2016 edition, could that be a cool $3.2million paid out in appearance fees? Wouldn’t that money have served us better if used to build modern sports facilities across public schools in Lagos? This way we would be sure of increasing participation in sport and raising potential world class athletes.

It is also important to ask for the financial statement of the 2016 Lagos City Marathon to enable us see how much was spent and how much was gotten in terms of sponsorship. The government cannot continue to spend tax payers’ money and not account for it. The Lagos City Marathon asks citizens to obey traffic rules as major roads are closed on that Saturday, at least let us know what financial returns it is making for us.

Political patronage

What I see is that the Lagos City Marathon as presently constituted is another political event that is meant to please the egos of the men and women in Alausa. Without a proper structure outside of the government’s coat tails, the Lagos City Marathon will not survive beyond this administration. Many laudable events from a few years ago have been discontinued. This one will also die a natural death if we do not try to place its organization in the hands of a not-for-profit foundation who will look after it to ensure it lives longer than the Ambode administration.

Still, I insist that we must build organically. A city marathon needs to have the buy-in of its citizens. It needs to be part of a sports policy that will ensure mass participation in sport in Lagos. It cannot be built from top-down as a tourism event and be expected to last. Eko for show is what we say all the time when events like this come up in our city. We show off for the world knowing that we have not really built structures to ensure for a long-lasting project. Then we go home and dream of what we achieved years ago. Perhaps in 30 years another nostalgic governor will revive it again. And repeat the same mistakes.

]]>https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/02/09/the-lagos-city-marathon-thrills-but-is-in-danger-of-failing-again/feed/6lagos-marathonjololade002Nigeria Football Federation embraces integrity but will it implement new strategy?https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/02/03/nigeria-football-federation-embraces-integrity-but-will-it-implement-new-strategy/
https://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/2017/02/03/nigeria-football-federation-embraces-integrity-but-will-it-implement-new-strategy/#respondFri, 03 Feb 2017 01:07:14 +0000http://loladeadewuyi.wordpress.com/?p=152]]>On Tuesday, the Nigeria Football Federation announced a nine-point integrity strategy, which if fully implemented will lead to transparency and growth of the game in the country.

The strategy intends to put a stop to several illegal actions by officials in football, one of the biggest being federation and state officials playing the roles of football agents who push their players into national teams.

Below is the entire strategy guideline:

1) It is observed that members of the Match Commissioners Committee do appoint themselves as Match Commissioners in our League Games. This act portends a great danger in terms of transparency and prevention of any possible exploitation. In view of the above, the NFF Match Commissioners Committee shall no longer be allowed to appoint themselves as Match Commissioners in our Leagues.

2) It is observed that members of the Referees Appointment Committee do appoint themselves as Referee Assessors in our League Games. This act portends a great danger in terms of transparency and prevention of any possible exploitation. In view of the above, the NFF Referees Appointment Committee members shall no longer be allowed to appoint themselves as Referee Assessors in our Leagues.

3) Also, we have observed that some Club Officials are currently operating as Match Commissioners in some strata of our Leagues. In view of these reforms, no Club Official should be appointed as a Match Commissioner in any of our Leagues in Nigeria.

4) Also, we advise that no State Football Association Secretary should be appointed as a Club Secretary, considering the fact that the State FA Secretaries in most cases are chief organizers of matches within their territories.

5) State Football Association Chairmen that are appointed as Independent Directors in our Leagues should no longer be appointed as Match Commissioners in our League games.

6) State Football Association Chairmen should not be doubling as Football Club Chairmen, hence all State FA Chairmen that are holding dual offices as Club Chairmen are advised to either relinquish the State FA Chairmanship position or that of Club Chairmanship position within three (3) months from the date of this circular.

7) State FA Chairmen that are also appointed as Members of Football Club Boards are to also decide to either be Club Board Members or State FA Chairmen as they are henceforth not allowed to hold dual position forthwith.

8) All NFF Executive Committee Members, NFF Management and Staff, State Football Association Chairmen and their respective Board Members, Club Chairmen and Officials, Coaches and all other Football Officials are hereby directed to desist from acting as Intermediaries (Agents/Managers) to players forthwith.

9) The General Secretary stated that any official that fails to observe the above shall be summoned before the Ethics Committee of NFF for breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics and the NFF Integrity Initiative Strategy Guideline.

Note that it is a guideline and it will only be effective if properly followed up. Nigerian organisations are notoriously adept at drawing up grand guidelines that are hardly implemented. This week I have been closely examining the Nigeria National Sport Policy but realised that much of the good in there has not been implemented to the letter.

Senior journalist Osasu Obayiuwana responded to my tweet on Tuesday thus: “Papers, even good ones, are one thing. But as always in Nigeria, it is about IMPLEMENTATION.”

Papers, even good ones, are one thing. But as always in Nigeria, it is about IMPLEMENTATION. https://t.co/4uf3iyutAZ